Bonding With Woolsey
by RoczaDeb
Summary: Jack spends some quality time with Woolsey. Jack POV. Spoilers for SGA The Return part 1 and 2. Updated minus the funky blocks. Crossover with SG Atlantis.


Bonding with Woolsey

By Rocza

Author's Notes: I noticed a change in Jack's attitude to Woolsey between Stargate Atlantis The Return pt 1 and 2. Here is my spin on what might have happened between the two episodes.

SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

I'm not sure exactly when it happened. I just noticed that suddenly, out of the blue, that Woolsey wasn't so bad. I know. It's not a huge revelation. It's not the answer to life, the universe, and everything. But it did come as a surprise to me.

Woolsey has always been annoying. He is my opposite. He has always been more concerned with counting his beans than what those beans represented. Always the one to use a diplomatic phrase for an undiplomatic problem.

I, on the other hand, took the loss of each bean personally. Because that is what they were; persons. And as for diplomacy… well, let's just say that the kindest way to describe my diplomatic skills is 'strait shooter.' To say we had a philosophical difference is understating the problem.

But, however we differed, I always knew that Woolsey was just trying his best. I may have questioned his actions, but never his motivations. I never thought he was evil or bad, just misguided… and annoying. Really annoying. Complete with the whiney voice and the hand wringing. Ack!

Anyway, sometime during our negotiations with the Lantians, I had the epiphany that Woolsey wasn't so bad. Don't worry. He is not my new best friend or anything. Just… not so bad. And that is why I feel so very guilty right now.

Here we are running and hiding from human form replicators as they systematically assassinate all the Lantians. I know that there is a very strong possibility that we are going to die, right here on Atlantis. If not from the replicators, then from the nuke that Hank should be sending through soon. But I don't have the heart to tell Woolsey. Instead, I let him cling to the hope that we can steal a ship or make it to the gate and back to Earth.

"Let's hole up here for awhile," I whisper to him. "Get some rest."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if they find us?" Woolsey asks me, panic edging his voice.

"Then they find us and we can rest. Either way, we rest," I reply. He's giving me the look. You know the one. The one that says, 'he's finally cracked, humor him.' Hey, whatever it takes.

And it takes awhile, but he finally overcomes his fear of making noise and asks, "Aren't you afraid of what they will do to us when they find us?" His voice cracks at the end. Obviously, he is wound up tighter than a spring.

I take a minute to ponder my answer. A reasonable question deserves a reasonable answer. I let out a sigh, "Not really." I reply honestly. "I already know what they will do when they catch us. I've lived through it before. The worst they can do is kill us. The best… well… we may just wish we were dead." I give him a sad smile. "But, they haven't caught us yet. So, buck up… and … all that," I finish lamely. Man, that even sounded lame to me. Apparently, my words are not soothing his fears. Not that I have ever been a man of conforting words. Just ask Sarah. Great, now he's staring at me with a terrified look. "What?"

"I don't think I can do this," he whispers finally. "I am a diplomat. I have spent years working to get to my position." He huddled lower in the corner, as if fold in on himself. "I have no idea what to do now. No frame of reference. I'm going to die here."

I may be a bit thick towards other people's feelings, especially when I don't really like them. But, I can hear a scream for help when I hear it. It made me feel even guiltier. Do I even have a right to give him hope in a hopeless situation? Crap. Woolsey with the big hopeless eyes is way worse than a sad puppy. I can't tell him the truth. I can't take his hope away. So, I start to laugh.

Okay, Mr. Sensitivity I am not. But I do have a reputation for a twisted sense of humor. Or is it a lack of humor? I must really keep up with these things. Oh God, Woolsey is staring at me wide eyed and its just making me laugh harder. Then he does the fish mouth thing, and I lose it. Yep, doubled over, laughing, with tears, honest to God, tears squeezing out of my eyes.

It takes him a full minute to say something. "Well, General O'Neill, I'm glad you find my inadequacy funny," he sneers. Goody, I pricked his pride. "Ohh, just go do something, brutish and military, and let me wallow in my helplessness."

As I finally regain control, I give him a big cheeky grin. "On the contrary, you are far from helpless. And be glad you have no frame of reference. Ignorance is bliss in this situation. As for not knowing what to do, you take this," I point at his pistol, "and defend yourself. Survive. Hide when you can, shoot if you must. The rest…" my hand circles to encompass everything in the room, "… is just details." He frowned back at me, not totally understanding. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to scout out some lunch." I stand and wave as I turn to leave our hidey hole.

"Wait! You can't just leave me here. What if they come? What if you get caught?"

"Details. We'll deal with them IF and WHEN they happen. Until then, think positive. Oh, and remember that you are HIDING. Don't reveal yourself, unless you are sure it is me. Don't talk, don't call out, and don't make any noise." I turn to leave and turn back, "And, please, don't shoot me." Then I turn one more time and leave before he can call me back again.

SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

Finally free of Woolsey, my training kicks in and I ghost through the halls of Atlantis. Without my shadow, I move much faster through the empty city. The city is eerily quiet as I slide between levels and rooms. I can't find any of the Lantians. I do pass several Replicator patrols, if you could call them that. They didn't seem to be doing anything but walking, oblivious to their surroundings.

An hour later, I make it to the chow hall. I made it all the way back to the kitchen before my luck runs out. I heard the replicators capture the Captain of the Lantian ship. Apparently, she had the same idea as I, and the replicators caught her attempting to gather food.

I have a front row seat as they first interrogate her, and then tap into her brain. It looks about like what I thought. Painful. Ten minutes pass without anyone moving. Finally, the replicator removes his hand and she drops to the ground unconscious.

"All the Lantians are dead," the replicator announces to the others. "She attempted to hide that information from us. Atlantis is ours. Begin phase II and repair the city. Notify me when repairs are complete." The replicator then turned his weapon on the unconscious Captain and killed her without so much as a how do you do. The group scattered to their tasks.

Okay, good news and bad news. Good news, the replicators don't know about Woolsey and I. Bad news, all our allies are dead. And just where in the hell is Hank and his handy pocket nuke?

I pack all the non-perishable food I can carry. I don't think it'll be a good idea to return here, even if they aren't looking for us. I slowly made my way back to Woolsey. As I pass the Jumper Bay, I can see the replicators working in-between the ships. No escape there. Maybe we can swim for it? The coast is only, what? 50 or 60 miles away. Piece of cake.

As I approach the hidey hole, I began to make some noise. No sense in getting shot by my sole remaining ally.

"General O'Neill? Is that you?" came a quiet whisper. Oh, that can't be good. I did tell him to hide, right? Specifically reminded him not to reveal himself until he knew it was me, right?

I show myself slowly. I so don't want to get shot now. "And what if I wasn't?" I ask him.

Woolsey spins around, gun in hand, "General O'Neill? Oh, thank god. Where the hell have you been? You've been gone hours and hours. I was certain that they had captured you and you weren't coming back. What the hell took so long?"

I know that his nervous rambling is releasing pent up energy. Obviously, waiting is not his strong point either. I know that he needs to let out his panic. Never the less, he pissed me off and I need to make a point.

"And what if I wasn't?" I ask.

He stops, "Wasn't what?"

"Wasn't General O'Neill."

"What?"

"What if the noise, you so cheerily revealed yourself to wasn't General O'Neill but a replicator construction crew?" I might as well be specific, he seems to be little slow right now.

"What does that mean?"

I frown at him and sigh, very slow indeed, "You just revealed your position without the reassurance that I was friendly. If I was not me, you would be captured. And since the replicators don't know we are here that would be a very bad thing."

"They don't know we are here?" He still sounded confused. "How do you know that?"

I gave him a grim smile. "I overheard them interrogating a Lantian." Woolsey's face went pale. "She revealed that all the Lantians were dead. The replicators have assumed that only Lantians were on Atlantis. They have started to repair the city." I paused for effect. "They don't know we are here. So, let's keep it that way." I started unpacking the food I found. "Hungry?"

"Not really."

I know the feeling. But, we need to eat and rest. "Eat. I'll take first watch so you can sleep." I hand him an apple.

SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

The next day, I once again got ready to scout the area. Woolsey once again lost his grasp on calm and panics.

"You can't leave me. Please, let's just sit tight for rescue. Please, General."

I sigh. Damn puppy dog eyes. "I'll wait a bit, but we need to have intelligence on the area. Otherwise, the rescue may not make it to us. Besides, we need to move."

"Why? I thought we were safe here."

"There is no safe place on Atlantis. We need to move to ensure we are as safe as possible. That is why I need to scout the area. Now, eat."

He is finally quiet and eats what is placed in front of him. After our silent meal, I once again made ready to scout.

His quiet voice stills my movements, "I'm afraid to be alone. I'm not as strong as you are."

Man, I don't need this. I hate giving the fear vs. courage lecture. Every time I give it, it makes me feel older. Hell, I am older. I snort, "I'm not strong. I'm stubborn."

It took him several minutes to digest that nugget before he asked, "You're afraid?"

Inside I smile. Not as stupid as he looks. "Hell, yes, I'm afraid." I paused, "I just don't let it stop me from doing what needs to be done." I gave him a smile, "of course, if you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it."

I started to gear up again before he slowly replied, "And we need to scout, so we can move, so we can stay alive, so we can be rescued."

"Exactly!" I got to give him credit. He caught on pretty fast. Much faster than Ferretti ever did, and he turned out okay. Sort of.

"How long?" he asked.

My smile faded, guilty pains shot through my stomach, "As long as it takes." As long as it takes to escape. As long as it takes till Hank sends the bomb. As long as it takes to be captured and killed. Okay, lets just leave off the options, "as long as it takes."

SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

The next few days were a blur of sameness. Scout in the morning, move in the afternoon, and scrounge dinner in the evening. Then the radio came alive with Lt Col Sheppard's voice. I've never been more pissed and happy at the same time. But being me, I let pissed take over.

The next few hours were a blur of activity and pain. Adrenaline rush from trying to open the doors and not drown in the process. Adrenaline rush from capture and subsequent hand in the head torture. Adrenaline rush from rescue.

Finally, with Atlantis secure, Woolsey and I were ready to go home. As we waited before the gate, I was overcome with the need to apologize. That was not exactly like me. But guilt wouldn't let it go. I had lied to Woolsey. I needed to make amends. Hell, I even felt bad about it.

"Woolsey, I just wanted to say 'I'm sorry' … about not telling you about the bomb. Ya know, I just … didn't have the heart to tell you." I took a deep breath. "You did real good, ya know. Well, except for the calling out your position thing. You really ought to work on that."

Woolsey actually looked stunned, "Thanks, General, that really means a lot coming from you."

"Well, ya know…" We watched the gate activate before us, "it was king of nice to have company." As we walked towards the gate, I gave him a cheeky smile, "but don't think I'm going to authorize you to lead any of my teams now." I watched him sputter to a halt as I stepped through the event horizon.

I actually waited for him to catch up on the other side. I must be a glutton for punishment. We walked to the infirmary together. "You know, General, you're not so bad … for someone afraid to be alone."

This time I staggered to a halt as he flashed me a sly grin. Did he just... He did. He really, really did. I flashed him a broad grin. I can't help but be proud. Snarky or not, he was getting better. "Good one, Woolsey." He would be alright with time. And he really wasn't so bad after all. At least the IOA meetings will be more fun now.


End file.
